Mel, I'm very glad that I was able to explain my position with some clarity. It ain't normally the case.

Of course, I'm arguing in a somewhat broad brush style, and I think Oz still has quality music and people in the music industry who actually give a damn.

But nostalgia? No, no, no. Music doesn't work that way mate. Art doesn't work that way. You know that, right.
Great art is ever in the eternal now. That's what makes it great.
King Lear, The Death Of Marat, Parsifal or more recently The Go-Betweens...it matters not a whit when the art was done, because the best of humanity lives on.

And all that follows must be judged in light of the brightest.

Then is now, to be more pithy about it.

There is nothing new under the sun, to be more Biblical.

catch ya round.

both of you have made very valid and interesting arguments. but not to the point where you've changed my opinion on australian music.i'm only 19 and have taken an interest in music for about 3years now. so i would love to hear your opinion on some of my favourite acts, who are the reason why i have such great faith in our local scene. Tame Impala, Middle East and The Panics are the 3 stand out groups for me. the first 2 are yet to release a LP but to date have produced a fair amount of brilliant music and know how to put on a great live show. the last, The Panics have a number of albums now and continue to impress me with their incredible lyrics and melodies. interestingly enough each band has had very isolated upbringings. Tame Impala and The Panics hail from Perth (the worlds most isolated city) and Middle East from Townsville (far far north east coast)and i think that is very reflective in the music they have made.

would love to know what you guys think.

quote:

Originally posted by Ninny Gooptz:
But nostalgia? No, no, no. Music doesn't work that way mate. Art doesn't work that way. You know that, right.
Great art is ever in the eternal now. That's what makes it great.
King Lear, The Death Of Marat, Parsifal or more recently The Go-Betweens...it matters not a whit when the art was done, because the best of humanity lives on.

And all that follows must be judged in light of the brightest.

Then is now, to be more pithy about it.

There is nothing new under the sun, to be more Biblical.

catch ya round.

Love someone who knows their Ecclesiastes!

I agree with all you said about how art works - however, since nostalgia is about how a person can view art regardless of whether that art has a broader timelessness or ephemeral nature; I was seeing if you as a self confessed middle ager had succumbed to this early onset dementia condition - I know too many for whom the golden age of art happened to end with the arrival of marriage,kids etc.

Still, in another alarming bout of clarity, your post easily puts my mind at rest that you aren't yet another victim of being trapped in time!

quote:

Originally posted by sarcasm_mister:
both of you have made very valid and interesting arguments. but not to the point where you've changed my opinion on australian music.i'm only 19 and have taken an interest in music for about 3years now. so i would love to hear your opinion on some of my favourite acts, who are the reason why i have such great faith in our local scene. Tame Impala, Middle East and The Panics are the 3 stand out groups for me. the first 2 are yet to release a LP but to date have produced a fair amount of brilliant music and know how to put on a great live show. the last, The Panics have a number of albums now and continue to impress me with their incredible lyrics and melodies. interestingly enough each band has had very isolated upbringings. Tame Impala and The Panics hail from Perth (the worlds most isolated city) and Middle East from Townsville (far far north east coast)and i think that is very reflective in the music they have made.

would love to know what you guys think.

The Perth scene is a personal fave of mine b/c I love the psych-rock thang that so many Perth bands are mining so well. Tame Impala are fantastic - Sunshine Syndrome is a purely lovely slice of sunny psych pop - the psych rock cover of Remember Me on the Sunshine Syndrome EP is no slouch either.

Another cracking Perth band are the Silents - nothing profound about them but their "Things to Learn" album still rocks my world regularly in its own sunny pysch rocking wonderful way.

Not so keen on the Panics or Middle East though; both seem talented enough but I like it more intense and they just don't grab me in that way.

A fave of mine at the moment is the great garage rock of Brisbane's The Lovers of Modern Art's debut effort, "Genuine Copy". Down'n'dirty - aside from anything else, too few bands do hammond organ solos like they should be done, like LoMA do them.

Completely different but simply beautiful all the same is the folky melancholia of Sydney's Firekites' last album "The Bowery." Great way to daydream/think the afternoon away without even vaguely being lulled to sleep.

There's a lot of aussie music I love, like "Lady of the Sunshine," with one of my favourite albums of the year, "smoking gun." There's Gotye, Cut Copy, and Evermore just to name some off the top of my head.

Posted by melvolume

quote:

your post easily puts my mind at rest that you aren't yet another victim of being trapped in time!

Absolutely not!! Eddy Current Suppression Ring are new, and I love 'em to death.

I like Tame Impala too. Perth has long given us weird and wonderful acts quite unlike anywhere else.

quote:

Originally posted by Ninny Gooptz:
Posted by melvolume

quote:

your post easily puts my mind at rest that you aren't yet another victim of being trapped in time!

Absolutely not!! Eddy Current Suppression Ring are new, and I love 'em to death.

I like Tame Impala too. Perth has long given us weird and wonderful acts quite unlike anywhere else.

Heard just a couple of ECSR tracks - sounded OK but a quick listen had me worried there was little more than lo-fi post strokes retro snarling.

Still, I will have to check them out more closely now that you have singled them out as rare good Aussie music!

Wot, wot, wot!!!

ECSR described as lo-fi post-Strokes retro snarling!#!@@#!!!&&()^$!!!!!

I am offended sir! They are lo-fi post- post-punk retro snarlers...jeez, there was a world before the Strokes you know.

ECSR rip off only the best: Gang Of Four, Wire, early Oils...

Fair nuff - I stand corrected!

But are you sure they are not post-post-post punk?

I think maybe they invented punk, and post-punk; disappeared for a few years and have now returned to claim what is rightfully theirs! .

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ninny Gooptz,

quote:

Originally posted by melvolume:


Not so keen on the Panics or Middle East though; both seem talented enough but I like it more intense and they just don't grab me in that way.

A fave of mine at the moment is the great garage rock of Brisbane's The Lovers of Modern Art's debut effort, "Genuine Copy". Down'n'dirty - aside from anything else, too few bands do hammond organ solos like they should be done, like LoMA do them.

Completely different but simply beautiful all the same is the folky melancholia of Sydney's Firekites' last album "The Bowery." Great way to daydream/think the afternoon away without even vaguely being lulled to sleep.

if you're after something a little bit more "intense" check out Violent Soho. a brilliant band out of Brisbane i think. triple j really got behind these guys early last year but seem to have forgotten about them all together.

quote:

Originally posted by sarcasm_mister:

quote:

Originally posted by melvolume:


Not so keen on the Panics or Middle East though; both seem talented enough but I like it more intense and they just don't grab me in that way.

A fave of mine at the moment is the great garage rock of Brisbane's The Lovers of Modern Art's debut effort, "Genuine Copy". Down'n'dirty - aside from anything else, too few bands do hammond organ solos like they should be done, like LoMA do them.

Completely different but simply beautiful all the same is the folky melancholia of Sydney's Firekites' last album "The Bowery." Great way to daydream/think the afternoon away without even vaguely being lulled to sleep.

if you're after something a little bit more "intense" check out Violent Soho. a brilliant band out of Brisbane i think. triple j really got behind these guys early last year but seem to have forgotten about them all together.

Checked 'em out - they are certainly pleasingly intense and raw - but they are a little too self consciously 1976/77 retro punk for me - plenty of energy though and once they find their own voice, more attention may come their way.

Thanks for the rec though.

quote:

Originally posted by sarcasm_mister:
both of you have made very valid and interesting arguments. but not to the point where you've changed my opinion on australian music.i'm only 19 and have taken an interest in music for about 3years now. so i would love to hear your opinion on some of my favourite acts, who are the reason why i have such great faith in our local scene. Tame Impala, Middle East and The Panics are the 3 stand out groups for me. the first 2 are yet to release a LP but to date have produced a fair amount of brilliant music and know how to put on a great live show. the last, The Panics have a number of albums now and continue to impress me with their incredible lyrics and melodies. interestingly enough each band has had very isolated upbringings. Tame Impala and The Panics hail from Perth (the worlds most isolated city) and Middle East from Townsville (far far north east coast)and i think that is very reflective in the music they have made.

would love to know what you guys think.

woah, I listened to "Blood" by the middle east, and was blown away. Recommend it vigorously.